Council agree policy on reduced pesticide use

Tolerance of weeds in public areas “may become more normal and more acceptable” as the use of weedkiller to keep weeds at bay scales down, senior council engineer Damien Grennan has told the members of Westmeath County Council.

Mr Grennan made the forecast as he took councillors through a new policy document at their July meeting, outlining how the authority can reduce its use of pesticides.

Setting out the detail, Mr Grennan said that the policy was for “rational use of pesticides” and it recognised the need to reduce reliance on pesticides but at the same time, where – in certain cases – it was necessary to continue to use pesticides, that it be done in a sustainable manner.

Mr Grennan said the document builds on and reinforces previous work undertaken by the council in promoting the reduction and sustainable use of pesticides by applying the ‘opt in’ option to residents associations in local authority estates.

He went on to state that alternative methods for weed control management will now be researched and trialled.

“It’s important to note, however, that while every effort will be made to use alternative non-chemical control methods, there will still be some areas and circumstances where alternative methods are not currently available or effective,” he cautioned, citing as an example the management of invasive species on the national road network.

He cautioned that the shift to alternative weed control methods may not be as economical as the use of pesticides, which may mean a budgetary implication for the council.

Cllr Hazel Smyth proposed that the document be approved, and it was seconded by Cllr Tom Farrell, although he asked that it be reviewed in 12 months’ time.

Cllr Ken Glynn said that some estates are concerned about the growth of weeds in their areas and he believed a lot of areas were not aware that there was an ‘opt-in.

Cllr Mick Dollard said he does not agree with the policy and he had never seen estates look so bad, due to the level of weeds.

Congratulations

Votes of congratulations were extended to two local people at Westmeath County Council’s July meeting. The cathaoirleach, Cllr Liam McDaniel, extended congratulations to Johnny Murphy from Ballinagore, who has been nominated for an Emmy Award for his work as a special effects artist, and to Ronan Fox from Rahugh, who was a member of the Ireland under 20 rugby team that reached the recent World Cup final.

“While victory against France was not to be on the day, Ronan and his teammates performed admirably throughout the tournament, and his family and friends and supporters in Rahugh, Kilbeggan, Rosemount, and all of Westmeath are proud of his achievements,” Cllr McDaniel stated.

His remarks were seconded by Cllr Tom Farrell.